Poured into teku glass. A clear dark mohagany brown with a 1/2 finger brown head that dissipates rather slowly leaving nice lace. Nice dried stone fruits and brown sugar in the nose. Taste follows with dried fruit, raisins, cherry, hints of bourbon and some alchohol, but unfortunately it has a slightly unpleasant bitterness that is somewhat different that a hoppy bitterness. It might appeal to some but detracted from the beer for me. Mouth is substantial, slightly viscous, sweet, but not quite cloying. Overall, a decent attempt but unfortunately it misses the mark for me.

Massive head w/ a good amount of stickage. Dark rudy color has clarity in the light. Estery w/ some fusel bourbon barrel aromas, caramel, vanilla and figs for a big sweet nose. Creamy and smooth all over the full-ish body. Big bready maltiness of toasted grain, caramel and dried hay. Alcohol is very noticeable but not hot, estery with booze soaked figs. Wood and vanilla and a drying finish complete this beer.

Thanks to ericandersnavy for sharing this bottle. This was an aged bottle (at least 2-3 years) that was labeled as Uinta Bourbon Barrel Barley Wine, but it is the same beer as Cockeyed Copper.

The beer pours a red-amber color with a tan head. The aroma is bourbon with some oak and dark fruit notes. The flavor is caramel, toffee, oak, bourbon and some alcohol. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Pours burgandyish. Love the color. Smells of raisins, figs, and bourbon. Taste was much less sweet than I was expecting, possibly due to the bourbon. Very nicely balanced. Tastes just like the nose but the bourbon is more present. Reminds me more of an ale than a barley wine. Bourbon is noticeable but not over powering. Still very sweet. This is a sipper for sure. I bought two bottles and I'm very interested to see what happens with some age on it.

Edit: 8-14-11 I previously said "reminds me more of an ale than a barleywine". My taste is getting better. Definitely a barleywine. Scratch that previous statement. I had this at an A-, this is more of a B+ however. Good, just not A material.

Cockeyed Cooper opens with a surprisingly hoppy nose for a Barleywine. In fact, at first, a heavy smattering of grapefruit rind and pine hops is all that comes across. After a few seconds these initial aromas calm down, revealing a sugary, malty underbelly ripe with caramel, toffee, berry, orange, peach, brown sugar, and somehow, even more caramel. These sugary aromas bear a striking resemblance to caramel-covered fruits--the expensive kind found in artisan shops--and is extremely alluring. Toast crust and rising wheat dough help ground the brew. Hardly present, and surprisingly so, is any hint of bourbon, since this was barrel-aged. Only a slight vanilla and oak tinge gives it away, and that very hard to detect. As a whole, the nose is excellent, and while it may be slightly too strong on the sugars, is still enticing.

On the tongue, the beer opens with a simultaneous hop and malt slam, the former bringing grapefruit rind, pine sap, dandelion stem, and touches of eucalyptus, and the latter covering the tastebuds in waves of caramel, brown sugar, apricot, berry, white grape, and green apple. Some toast crust and baguette helps bring the beer to earth, but not by much, as the sugars are intense--so intense that it takes the full force of the beer's 65 IBUs just to get the hops noticed. Additional notes of vanilla and oak, as well as extremely subtle tawny port and cognac, give excellent depth and complexity. Late in the mouthful the port and cognac flavors rise in potency, bringing a charcoal-filtered whang to the brew, as well as for the first time revealing the high 11.1% ABV in vodka-like heady vapors. The aftertaste is a continuation of these liqueur-like flavors, as well as fainter hints of bread and grapefruit rind, and lingers for a long time. Mouthfeel is medium to medium-high, and carbonation is medium.

Overall, this is excellent fare, and easily one of the better Barleywines I've tasted. Especially noteworthy here is how the beer doesn't rely exclusively on heavy, thick malt flavors--such as many beers of this style do--but adds IPA-like hops and bourbon barrel aging to the mix. The result is definitely worth seeking out, and firmly places pretty much everything Uinta Brewing makes at the top of my "must try" list.